JONAS Fanfic: Is Kevin Leaving?
by BeeBee18
Summary: A JONAS fanfic. What will happen to Kevin when the draft starts? Nick-centric fic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know no one has written for this fandom in ages, but I love this show and had an idea for it. I hope you like it!

Here's how I see the brothers' ages: In season 1, Kevin is in 12th grade (18), Joe is in 11th grade (17), and Nick is in 10th grade (16). If their ages are ever mentioned in the show please let me know, but I don't think they were, so this is what I always assumed.

Also, I have absolutely no idea how drafts work. This is all my imagination.

Nick was watching T.V. one Sunday in the room he and his brothers shared. No one else was home, so Nick was taking the opportunity to relax. Suddenly, an announcement came up on the T.V. screen.

"Attention all 18- and 19-year-old boys who have finished or are about to finish school," came the voice-over. "If you are in good health, you will be deployed to Iraq in the next two months."

Nick sat bolt upright. Kevin would be graduating high school in just over a month, and was in perfect health. Did that mean he was going to the army?, Nick thought, panicked. He quickly snapped off the T.V., resolving not to think about it unless Kevin was actually deployed and this became a pressing issue. But the thought kept returning all day, despite his trying to forget what he had heard.

A/N: Please R&R! More chapters hopefully coming pretty soon!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter 2! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS/JONAS LA

Kevin came home that day seemingly in a daze.

"Kevin, what's wrong?" his mother Denise asked.

"I'm being drafted in the next two months," Kevin said quietly.

"What?!"

"Yep."

Denise left the room quickly. Kevin sighed and slowly sank down on the couch. Tom, his father, came over and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, son." Tom's voice sounded like it was about to break, but he continued. "You'll make a fine soldier, and you'll make us all very proud."

Kevin looked up at his father and smiled. "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot."

Tom nodded. "Go talk to your brothers, alright?"

Kevin nodded and and headed upstairs to his room while Tom went to comfort Denise.

"Hey, guys," Kevin said quietly as he walked into the room he and his brothers shared.

Joe and Nick looked up from the spirited game of foosball they were in the middle of.

"Hey, Kev, everything okay?" Joe asked upon seeing his brother's sad expression.

"Oh, no," Nick whispered as he remembered what he had seen earlier in the day. He was almost positive he knew what was coming.

"Guys, I have something important to tell you."

Joe glanced at Nick. Clearly this really was important, because for once Kevin was serious and is expression sad.

"What's up?" Joe asked.

Nick was finding it difficult to speak.

"Guys," Kevin stopped and sighed, but then continued on bravely. "I'm being drafted. I'm leaving in the next two months."

"What?!" Joe exclaimed.

"You're lying," came Nick's quiet voice. He was surprised at how even and calm his voice was.

"No, Nick, I'm not. I'm leaving."

Nick stood, went up to his brother, and looked him in the eye. "I hate you," he said, then fled from the room.

Nick ran down the stairs, grabbed his guitar from where it was leaning against the couch, and left the house at a run. Tears threatened to fall, but he held them at bay until he reached the woods, two blocks away from the firehouse. Only one thought flashed through his mind over and over: 'My brother is going to war!' Nick was a very sensitive and intense person, and when something hurt him, it hit him hard. Now, Nick came to the small, rickety, old gazebo that stood in the woods. This was Nick's special place, where he went when he wanted to be alone or needed to think. Very few people knew about this special place, as Nick would go there when he needed privacy, or just wanted to think. Just as he stepped inside the gazebo, his cell phone rang in his pocket. Nick pulled it out and saw that Kevin was calling. With a feeling akin to betrayal, Nick pressed the 'Decline' button, turned off the ringer, and placed the device on the opposite bench, far away from him. How he would explain why he had completely ignored Kevin wanting to talk to him he would deal with later. Then he covered his face with his hands and allowed the tears to fall. Later, he would talk to Kevin, but for now he just had to get his initial emotions out.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Hope you like this chapter! Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS/JONAS LA.

Kevin paced up and down the room in front of Joe, who was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

"Are you really leaving?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, Joe." Kevin's voice was gentle.

Joe turned away, not looking at his brother.

Kevin sighed. "This is really hard. And I'm worried about Nick. He took it really hard."  
"I know where he is," Joe said standing up quickly. "I'll go get him."

Nick sat in the gazebo, strumming his guitar. His tears had long ago been exhausted, and now he was enjoying the solitude, with the only noises being his guitar and an occasional bird call. Then, he felt hands come down on his shoulders and gently massage them. He turned to see Joe standing behind the short railing of the gazebo.

"Joe! How'd you find me?"

Joe grinned. "You think I don't know where you and Kevin go when you want to be alone? I just don't follow you."

"Then why did you follow me this time?"

"Nick, you know why. You can't run away from reality. I know it's awful, but Kevin feels like you want nothing to do with him anymore. Please at least come back to the firehouse."

Nick shook his head. "How can I? Kevin's going to war."

"Not yet he's not. Make the most of your time, Nick. That's what I'm going to do."  
Nick nodded. He wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and stood up, grabbing his guitar and cell phone from the bench before walking after his brother.

Joe slung an arm around Nick's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Nick. Okay?"

Nick nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Nick and Joe entered their bedroom, and Kevin walked over, the relief evident on his face. He wrapped both of his brothers in a tight group hug, and they stood there holding each other for a long, long time.

"I'm sorry, Kev-," Nick started, but was shushed by his older brother.

"It's okay, Nick," Kevin said gently. "I know."

He tightened his arms around his brothers as all of their eyes filled with tears.

Just then, Frankie, their younger brother, ran into the room. Seeing his brothers standing there hugging confirmed his fears, destroying the hope that he had imagined what his mother had told him. With a little whimper, he ran to join his older brothers. When they sensed his presence they opened the circle slightly to let him slip through, then held their younger brother close. Finally, they broke apart.

"Don't worry, guys," Kevin said. "Really. I'll be just fine.

"Come on," he added, "let's watch a movie and forget about this for a while. It's not like I'm leaving tomorrow."

His brothers nodded, the smiles slowly returning to their faces. They spent the next few minutes arguing good-naturedly over which movie to watch, but finally decided on one. The four settled down on the couch to watch it together, laughing at the funny movie as they passed around a bowl of popcorn. For the time being, they were listening to Kevin and forgetting about what lay ahead, just enjoying themselves together in the now.

A/N: Did you like it? Constructive criticism is welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's chapter 4! Hope you enjoy!

The next day, Nick was quiet in school, thinking about all that had happened the day before.

"Nick?" His girlfriend's voice startled him out of his reverie at the lunch table.

"Hey, Mace. Sorry."

"Nick, is something the matter?" Concern showed in Macy's eyes as she put a hand on her boyfriend's arm.

Nick shook his head as he turned his face away.

"Nick?" Macy prodded gently.

"Kevin's going to war." Nick let the words spill out before he could regret saying them. "He's being drafted in a couple of months, and," here Nick dropped his voice so no one else could hear him, "I'm really scared."

Macy's face had registered shock at Nick's words, and now she leaned over to hug him, her mind still reeling from this news. "Don't worry. It's going to be alright," she whispered in his ear.

A long minute later, Macy released Nick and jumped up. "I'll be right back." She ran over to the table where Joe, Stella, Kevin, and Ashley, Kevin's girlfriend, were sitting.

Before Kevin knew what was happening, he was engulfed in a huge hug from Macy. "Uh...hey, Mace."

"Nick just told me," Macy said, finally releasing her friend.

Kevin smiled gently. "Thanks, Macy."  
"Anytime. But do you think Nick is okay? He was really quiet this morning, and just now he told me he was scared. Kevin, Nick is never scared."

Kevin sighed. "Nick is very sensitive, and things can hit him really hard at first. Don't worry, Mace. We'll keep an eye on him, but I'm sure he'll recover quickly.

Macy smiled. "Thanks, Kevin."

* * *

Kevin was right. By the next day, Nick was back to his old self. He was still quiet, but, then again, he always was. He joked and smiled as usual, and he played Macy a song during lunch.

"Are you alright now, Nick?" Macy asked gently as her boyfriend strummed the last chord of the song.  
"Yeah. I'm back now, Mace. Thanks."  
Macy hugged him. "That's good to hear. Stay strong, alright?"  
Nick smiled, wrapping his girlfriend in a hug. "Will do."

The two spent the rest of the lunch period talking about other things. For the moment, Kevin's impending leave was forgotten.

A/N: Was it okay? Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here's chapter 5!

Six weeks passed. The four brothers spent as much time as possible together, making the most of their time. Two weeks before the deployment, Kevin came home in uniform. Nick locked himself in the recording studio with his guitar and refused to come out for hours. Joe went to the basement and began to punch the punching bag they had there. Frankie hugged his brother tightly, still not quite understanding why he had to leave. Denise broke down in tears again while Tom hugged her and gave Kevin a proud look and a gentle smile.

Nick sat in the recording studio, clutching his guitar tightly. He took shaky breaths, willing himself not to cry. Soon, he began to strum his guitar, writing a song, the way he always did when he was feeling a strong emotion.

 _All too soon_

 _The time comes_

 _To say_

 _Goodbye._

 _I wish that time would never come,_

 _But I can't_

 _Do anything about it now._

It was a good-sounding start to a song. Nick just wished that this wasn't the reason he was writing it.

Kevin came into the studio and tapped on the glass. Nick reluctantly went to the door and opened it. Immediately, he was wrapped in tight hug from his older brother.

"Thank you," he said quietly as they parted a minute later. "I needed that."

Kevin smiled. "I actually have something to ask you."

"What's up?"

"Nick, you've always been the strong one here. And I hate to do this to you, but I have to ask you to be the strong one again, while I'm gone. Be strong for Frankie and Mom and Dad, okay? If you need anything, go to Joe. I've already talked to him. He'll be strong for you, but I need you to be strong for everyone else. Can you do that?"

Nick nodded. "Of course, Kev. You didn't even have to ask."

Kevin gave a small laugh of relief. "Thanks. What have you been up to?"

"Writing a song. Trying not to kick something. Y'know, the usual."

Kevin smiled as he put an arm around his younger brother's shoulders. "Are you doing alright?" he asked, concern suddenly entering his voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay. And just for the record, even when I am upset that you're leaving, I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks, Nick." There was a tiny catch in his voice. "That means a lot."

Joe joined them then, and the conversation became more lighthearted. They jammed with their guitars until dinner, laughing and joking the whole time.

Two weeks later, the family found itself in a nearby bus station, hugging Kevin goodbye. The oldest boy hugged his parents and Frankie for a long time, then turned to Nick and Joe.

"'Bye, guys," he said quietly. The three boys came together for a group hug for a long moment, then released each other reluctantly.

"Be strong for each other," Kevin told his brothers quietly. "And don't worry about me. I'll be back before you know it."

"What if you're not?" Nick asked, voicing his greatest fear.

"Well, then, you'll just continue life without me."

Kevin sounded nonchalant, but his brothers knew he was far from it.

"I love you guys."

"We love you, too, Kev," their mother said gently. "Come back safe, alright?"

Kevin nodded, swallowing back the lump in his throat as he hugged each member of his family one more time and waved to them, walking toward the bus.

Nick tried to walk away, but Joe gripped his shoulders tightly, pulling him backwards. "Stay with us, Nick," he whispered. "Don't leave. We can't lose you, too."

Nick nodded and allowed Joe to pull him back into a hug. "I'm right here," he whispered.

Nick hugged his brother back, unable to speak.

A short while later, the family slowly left the bus station and drove back to their house.

Nick once again locked himself in the recording studio with his guitar while Joe went on a long walk outside.

By the next day, the family was able to be happy again, although there would always be a small part of them that would be worried until Kevin returned.

A/N: Did you like it? Please R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here's chapter 6! It's really sad and dramatic...sorry about that. I love drama! :) Hope you like it!

Three months of army training for Kevin followed that day. He called his family almost every day, and they took comfort in hearing his voice and being told that he was alright. Kevin called one night three months later, and they all immediately jumped to the phone which had been put on speakerphone.

"Hi, everyone." Kevin sounded tired.

"Hi, Kevin," they chorused.

"This is the last time I'm going to be able to speak to you for a while," came Kevin's still-tired voice. "They're shipping us out to Iraq early tomorrow morning."

Denise gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Nick, who was strangely calm for the first time since this whole thing had started, put a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder.

The family spoke with Kevin for a while longer, but he was only allowed a short amount of time at the phone, and soon had to hang up.

"I love you guys. I'll see all of you soon," Kevin said, and then there was a click and the phone went silent as he hung up.

Frankie hugged his mother who was crying silently. Nick and Joe went quickly to their room.

Nick looked at his brother and was shocked to see that Joe was crying for the first time since Kevin had come home with the upsetting news that was now sending him overseas. The younger brother pulled the older into a hug and Joe cried into his brother's shoulder for a long time.

Finally, Joe pulled away. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Nick just nodded in response.

"How are you so calm?" Joe asked incredulously.

"I don't know. But Kevin asked me to be strong for everyone, so that's what I'm trying to do."

"Oh, Nick, you don't have to be strong if you don't want to, or if you can't."

Nick shook his head resolutely. "No. I'll be fine, and Kevin asked me to be strong, so I'm going to do my very best."

The brothers went to bed early, not wanting to do much of anything when Kevin would be in danger very soon.

* * *

The weeks went on. Stella and Macy at first spent every second with their boyfriends to make sure they were alright, but soon, the boys really were okay again. They were still worried, but the worry no longer consumed their lives. They moved on, wrote new music, had fun, did all the things they would have done had Kevin been there. Sometimes, in the evenings, Joe would catch Nick just staring at Kevin's empty bed with a wounded expression on his face, and of course everyone noticed the oldest boy's empty seat at the dinner table, but other than that, they really had moved on. They still missed Kevin, but they weren't worried every second.

One day, Joe ran up to Nick during lunch. He clutched his cell phone tightly in one hand and his eyes were full of tears.

"What happened?" Nick was immediately on his feet.

"Kevin," Joe choked out.

Nick gripped his brother's shoulders tightly. "It's going to be okay, Joe. Just tell me what happened."

"He's...he went…"

"Joe! Spit it out!"

"Kevin went MIA."

"What?" Nick whispered, releasing his brother.

Macy, who had heard the entire exchange, gasped.

"How do you know?" Nick ordered.

"Mom just called me. She got a message from the army. She's a wreck, Nick. We have to go home."

"Let Stella and me come with you," Macy said quickly, jumping up. She didn't think it would be a good idea for either of the boys to be driving in this state.

Macy ran to get Stella, and a minute later, they were all running outside, getting into Joe's car as quickly as they could, with Macy at the wheel. Even Stella was freaking out a little bit, and the last thing they needed right now was another person getting hurt. Macy drove with a sure hand to the firehouse, where all four jumped out and ran inside. Denise came and caught her boys up in her arms.

"Don't worry," she whispered to them. "He's going to be fine."

"What do you mean 'Don't worry'?! Kevin's missing, Mom," Nick yelled, pushing away from his mother.

"Nick, I'm trying-"

But Nick cut her off again. "No, Mom! What are we going to _do_?"

"We can't do anything, Nick," Macy said gently, coming up behind him.

"We have to do something! We _have_ to!"

Denise just shook her head, a sad expression on her face. Nick, upon seeing the action, ran to his room, slamming the door behind and throwing himself down on his bed.

* * *

Macy tried to run after Nick, but Joe stopped her, putting a hand on her arm.

"Let me go."

She nodded silently and watched Joe leave the room, wishing desperately that she could say something of comfort to the whole family.

* * *

Joe came into the room quietly, closing the door behind him. Nick was face down on his bed, crying silently into his pillow. Sighing, Joe sat on the bed beside his brother.

"Hey, Nick."

No response.

"Nick," Joe tried again, putting a hand on his brother's back.

Nick shot up suddenly into a sitting position.

"Why did this have to happen?" he asked quietly, his voice threatening to break again.

Joe shook his head. "I don't know."

"And there must be _some_ thing we can do."

Once again, Joe shook his head. "I'm sorry, Nick. Kevin is halfway across the world. We can't do anything."

At Joe's words, Nick broke down in tears again. Joe pulled Nick close, allowing his younger brother to sob into his shoulder.

"I just feel so helpless," Nick said as his sobs quieted.

"I know," Joe said gently. "I know."

Suddenly, Nick pushed himself away from his older brother. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm supposed to be the strong one. Kevin asked me to be the strong one."

Joe put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Nick, I told you. You don't have to be the strong one. It's just me here, and I'm supposed to be strong for you, too, remember?"

Nick nodded, attempting a smile. "Thanks, Joe, but I'll be okay. I'm just gonna go get some fresh air. Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Nick hugged his brother tightly for a moment. "See you later."

"See you."

Nick started out the door of the bedroom, and suddenly, just seeing Nick's retreating back made Joe break down. He tried to hold it in, but couldn't help it as a sob forced its way out.

Nick turned around upon hearing the sound, and was immediately back by his brother's side. "It's going to be okay, Joe."

Nick hugged his brother tightly, so tightly that his arms hurt, but he had no intention of letting go. "It's going to be okay."

A/N: Was it okay? I hope you liked it!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I apologize for this chapter. I'm not proud of it, and I don't think it's very good, but I wanted to finish this up and be done with it. Somehow in my mind it was much better than when I wrote it down, and it just stopped working for me a little while ago. I was planning to abandon it. If anyone did want to see this story finished, you have my sister to thank for bothering me about updating this story all the time. I hope you like it.

The next few days passed agonizingly slowly for the family. For the first time, every second without Kevin was felt keenly by every member of the family, especially Joe and Nick. Every day after school the brothers walked home in silence, instead of the usual laughing and joking, and they stopped having music writing sessions the way they had used to. Nick was barely able to sleep, while sleep was the only thing that Joe wanted to do. Denise almost never spoke those next few days, and Tom had given up on trying to keep everyone's spirits up with jokes. At first, Stella and Macy tried to be with Joe and Nick every possible minute, but eventually the boys asked for some space. The girls understood, but it was still hard for them to see their boyfriends hurting without being able to go to them. The boys, in turn, spent a lot of time at home, talking with each other. Nick, because he could never sleep, would always go out early in the morning with his guitar and write, wishing Kevin was there to do it with him.

Two weeks after finding out that Kevin was missing, Nick sat on the front steps of the firehouse with his guitar. It was five o'clock in the morning. He strummed quietly as he watched the road. A figure in uniform appeared soon after, walking slowly. Nick stared at the figure. Something about his gait seemed familiar but...no, it couldn't be. Could it?

"Nick?" the man called as he came down the road.

Now Nick was positive about what he was seeing. He ran down the road toward the man.

"Kevin!"

Nick ran toward his brother. Both were crying by the time they had reached each other and were in each other's arms.

"They told us you were missing!" Nick whispered.

"I was. I was okay the whole time, but they didn't know that. When they found me, I was honorably discharged. I'm home to stay, Nick. I'm not going back to that awful place." Kevin sounded relieved as he said the last sentence.

"Hey, wait a second," Kevin said suddenly. "What are you doing up?"

"I haven't been able to sleep since they told us you were MIA. I've been coming out every morning and playing on the front stairs."

Kevin shook his head as he once again pulled his brother close, wishing that his family hadn't had to go through so much pain.

"Come one inside," Nick said suddenly. "We can wake everyone. They'll want to see you."

Kevin followed his brother into the house and went to wake his parents as Nick shook Joe and Frankie awake.

"Kevin's here!" Nick yelled at his brothers, as they woke slowly. "He's home!"

Immediately, both boys were up and following Nick to their parents' room, where Kevin and their parents were talking. There were hugs and tears as everyone greeted Kevin. They talked and laughed. They were glad to have Kevin back home.

THE END

A/N: I don't know. I'm not very happy with the way I ended this, but I just wanted to get it over with at this point. This story is dedicated to my younger sister for bothering me to get new chapters up. Hope you like it, little sis!


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